Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-13
BIRTH OF THE FLAG.
The House in Which the First American En-
sign Was Made.

The House in Which the First American En-
sign Was Made.
On Arch street, below Third, says the
Philadelphia Press, stands a little old
building, two stories and half high
bearing sign which informs the passer-
by that within the house was made the
first American flag and that in these days
he can buy beer or liquor there.
Early IN 1777 a committee appointed
by the continental congress to select a
design for national flag went with Gen.
Washington to the little shop of Mrs.
Elizabeth Ross, at No. 239 Arch street, to
have their ideas embodied in bunting.
Mrs. Ross was a mllliner whose principal
business was among the Quaker ladies,
and In the projecting window were hung
the correct forms of the brown and drab
bonnets about whose make up the women
of the Friends society were and are as
particular as the lady who stops ones
view at the theater.
Gen. Washington sketched on scrap
of paper the design agreed upon. There
were thirteen stripes of alternate white
and red, and in the blue union were to be
thirteen white stars ranged in circle.
There is a tradition that Gep. Washing
ton ordered that the stars have six points,
and that Mrs. Ross argued that the stars
IN the sky seemed to have only five points.
She won the day by showing her visitors
how star with five points could be made
with one clip of the scissors. The flag
was made in her little back room, and
congress adopted the design as the nation
al banner.
The building has changed but little
since then. large tree which stood In
front of il during the revolution survived
until 1876, when it became dangerous and
was cut down. But the house stands as it
then did. Even Mrs. Ross show window
Is preserved and the wooden shutters on
the second story windows and the dormer-
window in the sharply sloping roof are
tho same that looked down on Arch street
a hundred years ago.
The bar-rOom would even now be recog-
nized as Mrs. Ross shop if one of that
committee could now revisit it. Passing
from this room through a narrow entry
and up two steps, one enters Mrs. Ross
work-room, where without doubt, the
flag was cut out and sewed together. II
is even now queer old room. On it's
furthest end is the old fire place now GOV.
cred with wallpaper, but showing at the
top row of the blue and white tiles
which once surrounded it.
Built into one corner is three corner
ed wooden cupboard. The very locks
and knobs on the doors are of the pattern
of the last century. The stairways of
the house are all winding and very narrow
That leading to the cellar is very steep
The attic is still hoored with the pun
cheon boards which once were the only
flooring in the house-an inch thick and
eighteen inches wide. The only new
thing about the whole structure is q
back kitchen, built within tho last few
years.
Mrs. Amelia Mund, comedy German
widow, who keeps the tavern and owns
the property told what she knew of the
history of the building since the time OF
Mrs. Ross.
st was occupied as a tailor shop many
years, and my husband bought it over 4t
years ago. Neither he nor would allow
Anything to be changed unless an abso-
Iute necessity to keep the building from
gIng to pieces. 1t is strong and we'll
built, and has needed very little repair
ing. When the floor of what was the
shop was taken up few years ago the
original fioOr1was taken away, as it could
not be kept FROM falling into the cellar
People came from long distances to get
pieces of it as relics, and one gentleman
had board made into table and drapeo
it with the American flag. The house
until two or three weeks ago never had 6
sign to tell people that the first American
flag was made here, but 1 thought PEG.
pie ought to know. Anyway, I've had nc
end of visitors to inquire about the OLD
house. Not many of them were Phila
delphians, for they don't seem to care
much about the relics of the revolution
nowadays, but geat many western peo
pie have come 20 this house and taken as
much interest in il as they did in indie
pendence hall.
81 hope President Cleveland will come
here when he is at the constitutional
celebration. Do you think he would
When the flags birthday celebration was
held in 1877 I had forgotten all about
decorating the house and didn't even
show flag, and the parade went right by
the house. And the newspapers went fol-
me about it, too. You shall see how ]
will decorate my house during this cele
bration.
On either side of Nc. 259 are tall build
ings used for manufacturing purposes
and the space this relic of history soccu
pies is becoming too valuable for it tC
stay much longer. Mrs. Mund says she
wishes the Historical society would buy
the building and move it out to the park
beside William PENIS Letitia street
house, Several ladies have already be
come interested in this project, and the
Historical society is said to have it under
consideration